The MAC presents Nancy Dyer Mittton & Robert Seyffert

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The Marion Art Center (MAC) is pleased to present Nancy Dyer Mitton and Robert Seyffert, with dual exhibitions of their paintings from August 16 through September 28, 2019 at 80 Pleasant Street, Marion, MA.   An artists’ reception will be held on Friday, August 16, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm and Thursday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. The David Mitton Project, jazz ensemble, performs on Saturday, September 14at 7:30 pm. Robert Seyffert will present an artist’s talk on Saturday, September 28, at 11:00 am.

            Nancy Dyer Mitton and Robert Seyffert are fellow painters and friends. They met at The National Arts Club in New York City where they continue to be award winning exhibiting artists members for over twenty-five years. Earlier this year Ms. Mitton won First Prize in the 2019 NAC Exhibiting Artist Exhibition. Both artists are supporting members of the Artists’ Fellowship in NYC. Robert Seyffert is the former director of the Rochefort-en-Terre Artist Residency program in Brittany, France where Ms. Mitton received artist residence grants in 1995 and 2001.

            Nancy Dyer Mitton is a resident of Marion, Massachusetts. She received her BFA in Painting from the Massachusetts College of Art where she studied with George Nick. Her paintings are represented by Soprafina Gallery in Boston.  Frank Roselli, Director of Soprafina Gallery, describes Nancy Dyer Mitton as “an avid lover of nature: it’s expansive beauty, power, and light. Her paintings use the physicality of the oil paints as she creatively constructs her canvas using wet paint with adroit skill.”

            Robert Seyffert lives and paints en plein air in NYC. This exhibition of paintings focuses on his love of vintage American cars parked on obscure city streets. He paints in a classic Contemporary American Realist style not unlike Edward Hopper.

            Robert Seyffert received his BFA from the Maryland Institute, College of Art and his MFA from the Parsons School of Design. His prizes have included the Yale at Norfolk Award, the Helena Rubenstein Grant, 1st Prize National Arts Club in 1999, Greenshields Fellowship, and in 2019 the Poe Award for Excellence in the Arts from the Bronx Historical Society. American Artist magazine said “Whether it’s a big tree or a 1965 Pontiac, there’s something about the light hitting the subject that excites me, and that’s what I paint. I’m trying to get the sensation created by the thing I’m looking at, and not just copying it” (Howell, 2003).

Academic Achievements

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The following Tri-Town residents were among the students who received their degrees in May as part of the Class of 2019:

            Catherine Ball of Mattapoisett graduated with a B.A. degree in Communication & Media Studies.

            Aimee Hill of Mattapoisett graduated with a B.S. degree in Marketing.

            Mya Lunn of Marion graduated with a B.A. degree in Elementary Education.

            Christina Ann Sebastiao of Mattapoisett received a Bachelor of Science in Communicative Disorders, Summa Cum Laude, at the University of Rhode Island’s 133rd Commencement on Saturday and Sunday, May 18-19, 2019.

Point Connett Youngsters Bake to “Save the Creek”

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Lena Paull, Maya Warren, and Harper Warren are serious about caring for our planet. When these friends, ages 9 to 11, learned that the Mattapoisett Land Trust (MLT) is raising money to conserve 120 acres of critical unspoiled landscape in the Pine Island Pond Watershed, they wanted to help. Saturday morning on July 20th, one of the hottest days this summer, found them baking treats and squeezing lemons for lemonade. That afternoon, the three were at Point Connett’s Sandy Beach in the blazing sun selling lemonade, cookies, and brownies and explaining the Pine Island project. “It’s important to save the land to protect the clean water in our creek,” explained Maya as she poured lemonade for a customer. “The creek is beautiful and clear and flows right into Pine Island Pond and the harbor.” Proceeds of the bake sale totaled $214.76, which they have donated to MLT for the Pine Island lands.

            “This is the most heart-warming donation we’ve received,” said Mike Huguenin, MLT’s President. “These youngsters get it – they instinctively understand the connections between land protection, water quality, scenic beauty, and the quality of life we enjoy in Mattapoisett. Their support inspires us to keep at it.”

            As of August 1, MLT has raised 95% of the $1.5 million needed to save the Pine Island lands, with only $74,000 still needed. Will you join Lena, Maya, and Harper to help save the Pine Island Watershed lands? To donate or for more information, please email info@mattlandtrust.org.

First Habitat for Humanity Home Planned for Mattapoisett

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 For many families owning a home is often just a dream. To say that Habitat for Humanity makes dreams come true, is true. But it is much more than that. It is a community of business people, vendors, tradesmen, landscapers, and oh yes, the most important element, volunteers.

            On August 3, a ceremonial groundbreaking took place on Fairhaven Road, property donated to the Buzzards Bay Area Habitat for Humanity (BBAHH) by David and Jessica Nicolosi of Mattapoisett.

            On hand to help celebrate what will be a build-out over the next several months were volunteers who have provided either sweat equity, construction expertise, donations, or financial support. Mattapoisett businesses that got on board to help included professional engineer Douglas Schneider and Village Signs. Others contributing their time or services are Eastern Bank, Cape Cod 5 Foundation, students of Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School, South Coast Creations, Simmons Concrete, Dry Zone Basement Systems, Grasso Electric, The Plumbers, Andrade Plumbing and Heating, KM Building, Little Harbor Builders, Sherman Briggs, and Shoreline Remodeling. The home will be the first to feature solar power. That equipment is being provided by Blue Wave LLC.

            Kara Lees, President of the board for BBAHH introduced longtime board members whose involvement in many builds was noted. Those members were: Al Winters, George McTurk, Robin Ragle-Davis, Jack and Sandy Beck, George LeBlanc, Charles Beachamp, and Terry Guiney whose work with affiliated program Brush With Kindness was noted.

            Executive Director Christine Lacourse said that over the next couple of weeks, site and foundation work will began with a planned build-out beginning in September. “We’ll work every weekend with about eight to ten volunteers.” Most projects are completed in about 45 to 60 days she said.

            Representative William Straus said of the project, “This is an organization I really love.” He said that he had worked with the group during the Marion project and now in Mattapoisett, “When you need help, I’ll be there.”

            Lacourse explained that families wishing to be considered as the future homeowners need to complete a volunteer form which includes a section for requesting inclusion in the lottery process. Those wanting to be considered as the chosen family must also volunteer she said.

            Lees said that the Nicolosi Family didn’t “… necessarily believe in handouts, but did believe in a hand up.” 

            The program requires that applicants prove U.S. citizenship, degree of severity to establish need for shelter, ability to pay, willingness to partner, and be a resident of the service area. BBAHH covers the towns of Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Marion, Mattapoisett, New Bedford, Rochester, Wareham, and Westport.

            For more information on volunteer opportunities, and the qualification process, you may visit www.buzzardsbayhabitat.org or call 508-758-4517.

By Marilou Newell

The Marsupial Opossum

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Over 70 million years ago, dinosaurs roamed the entire Earth. Although now extinct, they once shared the same land with North America’s only marsupial, the opossum. The word opossum comes from the Native American word “apasum”, meaning white-faced animal. About the size of a full-grown cat, the opossum is even more adept at tree climbing. It has sharp claws on each foot with additional opposing toes on its back feet to hold onto things, just as a person’s thumb can. The tracks in the snow look just like a humans, separated by dragging tail marks.

            As a marsupial, scientists also classify the opossum as a “pouched“ mammal whose young are born after only a two-week gestation period. The pink embryonic infants are so small they can fit in a teaspoon. They are called joeys, and usually eight or nine must climb onto their hind legs into the mother’s pouch called a “marsupium” to feed on their mother’s milk. They grow until the pouch becomes full and then they move out to ride on the mother’s back, as illustrated, until old enough to go out on their own.

            The opossum has what is known as a “prehensile” pink, scaly tail adapted to wrapping around and grasping limbs of a tree. As they walk along a branch or ledge, they can also wave their tail from side to side to keep balance like the high wire circus Flying Wallenda performers use a long pole on either side as a sensitive indicator.

            Opossums only live to be about two years old because they have many enemies including owls, foxes, coyotes, snapping turtles, and humans in automobiles. They are primarily nocturnal, not usually seen. When meeting a predator, they growl, hiss, and show their teeth to scare it away. But instead of fighting, they go completely limp and fall on one side while the tongue hangs out to look dead. A dog, for instance, cannot tell if it is alive or not, and a opossum can hold perfectly still for up to one hour.

            The opossum has fifty teeth, more than any other animal, and will eat almost anything. They like snails, worms, eggs, frogs, and snakes. They can survive even a bite from a rattlesnake. But its teeth permit them to effectively eat many dubious insects, such as hundreds of ticks in one night. Their proficiency at smelling out garbage pails or dead animal carrion by the side of the road gives them a distinct odor, but earns them the title of nature’s little sanitation engineer.

            The opossum’s nearest cousins of distinction live halfway around the world. In Australia there is the kangaroo, the cute koala looking like a teddy bear, and the numbat that similarly eats thousands of termites. And there is the Tanzanian devil that frightens humans with its terrifying screams at night.

            The Marsupials, like the opossum, are clearly marvels of environmental adaptation to the changing globe, not unlike all living species on this planet. There is some semblance to the historic ascent of man, giving us perhaps more cause to appreciate our own environmental awareness.

By George B. Emmons

August Family Programming at the Mattapoisett Library

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Upcoming events include Turtle Week, August 13 through 17,with a special presentation from the New England Coastal Wildlife Association (NECWA) on Wednesday, August 14 at 2:00 pm. Join the NECWA for an interactive program and craft for children age 4 and up. Contact the library to register. 

            On Friday, August 16at 1:00 pm, Jim Kegle, our chess instructor, will host a Chess Tournament with Pizza Lunch. Children age 5 and up, including adults are welcome to participate. Some experience playing chess recommended. Please contact the library to register. 

            Finally, on Saturday, August 24at 10:30 am, join Kay Hanley Alden for an End of Summer Celebration with a warm-up, ribbon skills, may pole dance, and games! Kay Hanley Alden, alumnus of the Boston Conservatory, brings her passion for teaching to all her programs. This program is recommended for children age 5 and up. Please contact the library to register.

            In addition to our special programs, join us for story time on Tuesday and Friday mornings at 10:30 am through the week of August 23. You can also register for 30-minute chess lessons on Wednesday evenings with extended hours during the summer from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm. 

            All programs are free and open to the public. If special accommodations are needed, please contact the library at 508-758-4171 for assistance or email the children’s librarian, Miss Chris at cmatos@sailsinc.org. For more information on up-coming children’s programs, please visit our website at www.mattapoisettlibrary.org/childrens.

Rochester Historical Society at the RCF

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Join the Rochester Historical Society at the Country Fair. We’ll have our many Rochester items for sale: hats, tees and sweatshirts, maps books, etc. We’ll have our Bake Sale on Saturday, August 10 with delicious items prepared by the Historical Society’s famous bakers. See you there.

Tri-Town Presents Another National Night Out

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Now seven years strong, the Tri-Town National Night Out is one of the highlights of the summer.

            Since 2013, the fire, police, and EMS departments of Marion, Mattapoisett, and Rochester have come together on the grounds of Old Rochester Regional to connect with the people of the communities they serve and offer them the chance to explore the apparatuses and tools of their trade: to serve, protect, and rescue.

            “This is a great opportunity for the community and our first responders to get to know each other and ask any questions they have about the various local departments and the work we do,” said Marion Police Chief John Garcia. “Our hope is that positive interactions between community members and first responders at events like this help to make the community stronger, and we encourage residents from all three communities to attend.”

            The National Association of Town Watch (NATW) first introduced National Night Out in 1984, establishing it on the first Tuesday in August every year.

            Seventy-five communities in Massachusetts this year hosted National Night Out events.

            “It’s easy to think that with today’s technology, we don’t need to reach out and connect with our neighbors,” says the NATW. “While home security systems afford us with additional protection, they can’t help us to get to know the individuals who live nearby and who might be able to support us not only in times of need, but also share part of their lives with us.

            “This is what National Night Out is about: communities coming together in a stance against crime. It starts with us.”

By Jean Perry

EEE Threat Incites Concern, Spraying

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            In response to the state’s “high risk” Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) infection status in Marion, Mattapoisett, and Rochester, Plymouth County Mosquito Control conducted local spraying throughout the Tri-Town to try and cull the mosquito population and lessen residents’ chances of contracting the dangerous mosquito-borne virus.

            The Massachusetts Department of Health (DPH) issued the “high risk” to the Tri-Town and other towns in the region after an elevated number of mosquitos tested positive for EEE. A high risk level means that conditions could likely lead to a human EEE infection.

            The number of EEE infected mosquitos found in Mattapoisett was not specified in the DPH data, but nine mosquitos tested positive in Marion and three in Rochester.

            “We have been at high risk because of other factors in the past, but of those I have spoken with, no one recalls having nine positive mosquito samples on the same day in Marion before,” Marion Public Health Nurse Kathleen Downey told The Wanderer. “However, this doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened.”

            According to Downey, data from 2014-2018 for Marion shows that Marion had only one mosquito test positive in 2014 for EEE.

            In 2017, 5,496 mosquito samples were taken and tested for EEE. Only one positive was identified in Massachusetts that year. This year a total of 186 mosquitos in Massachusetts tested positive for EEE.

            As of press time, 22 municipalities in Massachusetts were under a high risk advisory for EEE.

            Under a “high risk” advisory, municipalities are advised to restrict activities on town-owned properties to the hours between dusk and dawn, causing some events such as the Tri-Town National Night Out on Tuesday to alter its hours and also leaving the Rochester Country Fair organizers scrambling to reschedule events taking place at night and even having to cancel its events Thursday and Friday, as well as the evening events slated for Saturday and Sunday, August 10 and 11.

            Spraying took place in the early morning hours of Monday, August 5 in Mattapoisett and Marion with Rochester slated for spraying later in the week, and local boards of health and health directors urged residents to take other precautions to mitigate mosquito population increases by emptying any containers of standing water on their properties where mosquitos lay their eggs. Residents are also cautioned to avoid spending time outside during peak mosquito hours, from dusk until dawn, wear long sleeve shirts and long pants while outdoors, and use mosquito repellants containing DEET, permethrin, picaridin, IR3535 or oil of lemon eucalyptus, according to the instructions on the product label.

            “The best approach to this disease is to take reasonable preventive measures to decrease the risk of contracting the disease,” Downey said. “We recognize that it is a frustration to be told that evening plans need to be changed, but we also appreciate our responsibility to inform and support the good health of our town residents. EEE is an extremely serious disease that is associated with a high mortality rate and lifelong complications for many who survive the disease.”

                  People under the age of 15 and over 50 are especially at risk for serious illness. Although EEE is a relatively rare disease, it is a serious one and sometimes deadly. About 33 percent of EEE infected people die, while some survivors suffer from ongoing long-term neurological effects. There are some who may contract the virus but remain asymptomatic.

            Symptoms such as chills, malaise, fever, muscle pain, and joint pain can start between four and 10 days after a bite from an infected mosquito and can last one to two weeks.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes the signs and symptoms in encephalitic patients as fever, headache, irritability, restlessness, drowsiness, anorexia, vomiting, diarrhea, cyanosis, convulsions, and coma.

            There is no vaccine to protect against the EEE virus.

            Tri-Town local health departments continue to work closely with MDPH and other agencies.

            Information about EEE and reports of current and historical EEE virus activity in Massachusetts can be found on the MDPH website at www.mass.gov/dph/mosquito.

By Jean Perry

Sippican Historical Society

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In 1998, the Sippican Historical Society commissioned an architectural survey of Marion’s historic homes and buildings. The survey was funded one-half by the Sippican Historical Society and one-half by the Massachusetts Historical Commission. Due to the limits of funding, not all of the historic buildings were surveyed, but over 100 were catalogued and photographed. The results of the survey are in digital form on the Massachusetts Historical Commission’s website and in four binders in the Sippican Historical Society’s office (and at the Marion Town Clerk’s office).

            Marion (Old Rochester) is one of the oldest towns in the United States, and the Sippican Historical Society maintains an extensive collection of documentation on its historic buildings. The Sippican Historical Society will preview one building a week so that the residents of Marion can understand more about its unique historical architecture.

            This installment features 160 Front Street. The building at 160 Front Street was built with the timbers of a salt works that was destroyed in the 1815 hurricane. This Federal and Greek Revival building was owned by J. S. Gorham in 1855 and by the C.H. Damon estate by the early 1900s. In 1931, this house was open to tourists as a typical New England home. A Wareham Courier article dated July 17, 1931 explains that “the Rosamond Inn at Cottage and Front Streets, Marion, has thrown open its doors to tourist travel and to those who have read of New England hospitality. The homey features of the abode and the traditions handed down from the early settlers will enjoy this hostelry’s outstanding features such as delicious meals and large comfortable and unusually pleasant rooms.”